


Two Roads Diverged

by Clea2011



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arguing, Driving, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Merlioske-friendly, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28533978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clea2011/pseuds/Clea2011
Summary: Merlin really believed that Arthur's father had accepted him.  How very wrong he was.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 336
Collections: Finish that Fic Merlin!, Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	Two Roads Diverged

**Author's Note:**

> Written for HC Bingo square 'family'  
> Not betaed.

Arthur, it seemed, quite liked sulking. That was the only explanation for the long, long silence on the drive home.

“We could put the radio on?” Merlin suggested after the first few minutes.

“No.”

Arthur kept his eyes on the road, his mouth set in a firm, angry line. It was much the same expression as he’d worn ever since… Well, ever since Merlin had done what he did.

“I couldn’t help myself,” Merlin offered.

“I’m aware of that.” Arthur indicated left, heading onto the motorway slip road. He didn’t look at Merlin. But that was probably just as well given the way he was speeding up even before they’d joined the traffic.

“We maybe don’t need to go quite this fast yet…” Merlin attempted.

“This is why you’re such a poor driver,” Arthur snapped. “You need to get a decent speed up when joining the motorway.”

Merlin sat back in the plush, heated passenger seat of Arthur’s posh car and let his boyfriend get on with it. He knew that his driving ability was the least of Arthur’s objections at the moment.

Arthur was going to drive too fast. He did that sometimes when his father had upset him. Merlin had noticed it once or twice before. Damn Uther and all the emotional damage he’d done to his son, Merlin thought.

Within seconds they’d joined, crossed over into the 3rd lane and were speeding past absolutely everything on that motorway. A sleek sports car ahead of them was soon left behind, Arthur undertaking to get past.

Merlin knew you definitely weren’t supposed to do that, but he knew better than to point it out. The speedometer was now well over 100mph. Behind them a horn blared.

“I suppose if we die then it won’t be a problem any more?” Merlin suggested as gently as he could manage. They were approaching another car. This one obviously had an Arthur-like driver as it had sped up when they got near. It had to be doing 110 at least. Unfortunately that meant Arthur felt that he needed to do the same.

“True,” Arthur replied.

“My mum will cry at our funeral,” Merlin added. He knew that playing the mum card was low, but he didn’t really fancy the idea of being a newspaper headline the next day. Arthur had a soft spot for Merlin’s mother, who always baked him special treats when he visited and treated him like a second son. “Who will she bake brownies for if we’re being scraped off the motorway?”

Arthur continued to speed for another moment or two, then reluctantly took his foot off the accelerator a little. Merlin was grateful to see the speedometer reduce to a somewhat more bearable 80mph. His heartrate went down accordingly.

“Thank you.”

“Hunith is a kind woman, I wouldn’t want her to be upset,” Arthur allowed. “It’s good to respect each other’s parents.”

That was a dig, Merlin knew. But he was not going to have a row with Arthur on the motorway. Later, when they were home, they could continue what had started in the driveway of Arthur’s father’s mansion if they had to. Merlin would have preferred not to argue with Arthur at all.

“I’m sorry for speeding,” Arthur said after a moment.

“For nearly killing us both.”

“Yes. That. Sorry.” He did actually sound contrite so Merlin let it go.

“I’m sorry I upset you.”

Arthur nodded. “It was my father that you upset. He’s told me not to bring you with me if I visit again.”

“Yes. I know. Can we discuss this when we’re safely home?” Arthur wasn’t driving dangerously any more, but Merlin would have preferred not to continue any discussion that might start him off again.

“I don’t understand what happened,” Arthur told him. “One minute you were talking to him and all was okay, and then the next the pair of you were having a blazing row. I only left you alone with him for a few moments. I thought the two of you always got along.”

Merlin had thought that too. But it turned out that Arthur’s father was a homophobic bigot who didn’t care for Merlin’s relationship with his son. Except Merlin hadn’t realised that aspect of Uther’s personality. Not until Arthur had left them alone together. That was what had happened.

All those visits to Uther’s in the past. All those times when Uther had said that Merlin was welcome. Uther had been friendly enough, every single time Merlin had visited with Arthur. Even at Christmas. They’d all sat up on Christmas Eve drinking Scotch, companionable as anything. He had always been pleasant to Merlin whether Arthur was in the room or not. They’d played games of chess together. Watched the bloody queen’s speech. Merlin didn’t even like the royals but he’d sat through it to please Uther.

And so, believing Uther to have accepted that Arthur and Merlin were in it for the long haul, Merlin had mistakenly confided in him. It would be Arthur’s birthday the following weekend. Merlin had made plans. They were going to Paris, a romantic mini-break, just the two of them. And Merlin was going to propose.

For a moment Merlin had thought that Uther might be having a stroke. He’d gone an odd shade, almost puce, and a vein was throbbing in his forehead. And then he’d started speaking in a low voice so that Arthur wouldn’t overhear, telling Merlin exactly what he thought of the idea.

Uther had most definitely not given the idea his blessing. Merlin was _not_ welcome. Uther had believed that Arthur was going through a phase. Arthur would grow out of it. Arthur would do the right thing and marry a fine woman who would give Uther grandchildren. There would be a picture perfect white wedding. Merlin and _his sort_ did not feature in that picture.

For a moment Merlin had been in shock. And then he’d found his voice. He’d told Uther in no uncertain terms exactly what he thought of him. It wasn’t as if Uther had held back with his opinion of Merlin, after all. Except Merlin had been loud. And Arthur had returned right in the middle of it and only heard Merlin’s rudeness.

It wasn’t as if Merlin could have explained to Arthur the exact circumstances. That would ruin the romantic weekend that he had planned. And it would sour the whole proposal anyway if he’d said something in front of Uther.

“Get out of my sight!” Uther had commanded. “And don’t bring this _person_ here again, Arthur.”

And so they’d left.

Thankfully the drive home was nearly at an end. They were almost at their exit and Arthur had pulled over into the slow lane. He was doing 55 and it felt like a crawl in comparison to the speed they’d been doing moments before. Perhaps they were going to live after all, Merlin thought.

“I can’t tell you what set him off,” Merlin admitted, “but he hates you and I being together. It’s all just been a big pretence with him. He thought you were going through a _phase_.”

“A phase?” Arthur repeated slowly.

“That’s what he said.”

Arthur was silent for a few minutes. “I thought he’d accepted that I was gay,” he said finally.

“No. Definitely not.”

Again Arthur was silent. Then he gave a heavy sigh as they turned off the motorway. “We’ll discuss this properly when we’re home,” he decided.

Perhaps the death race on the motorway wasn’t such a bad option after all, Merlin wondered.

\---

As soon as they were inside their flat, the door closed, Arthur started questioning again.

“So what happened back there?” Arthur asked. “Why did you say those things to him? He’s my _father_ , Merlin. He’s all I’ve got.”

“Untrue. You’ve got me,” Merlin pointed out. “And you’ve got your sister.” Merlin hoped that Morgana would have sided with him over this. She never seemed particularly fond of Uther. He’d wondered why, until that afternoon.

“You know what I mean. The only _parent_. I really thought the pair of you got on. I only left the room for a few minutes and then when I get back you were yelling at him as if he was some kind of monster.”

For a moment Merlin wondered if he should tell Arthur the whole of it, the proposal and everything. It was all soured now anyway. Still, he tried with just part of it to start with.

“He’s been putting on a front. It’s all an act. He expected you to get bored, to turn miraculously straight, settle down with a nice girl.”

Arthur frowned. “But why now? Why would he suddenly turn now?”

“I told him something, something I wanted to do as a surprise for you. It was a mistake. He realised I wasn’t ever going to give you up.”

“A surprise?”

Merlin shrugged, looking away, not wanting Arthur to see his disappointment. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s ruined.”

Arthur regarded him for a moment or two, his expression softer, fonder as realisation began to dawn. “Was it to do with next weekend? Our break?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Merlin told him.

“He knew we were going away for my birthday though. We always have a long weekend for our birthdays.”

“I showed him the present I’d got you,” Merlin admitted. “That’s what he didn’t like.”

Arthur regarded him thoughtfully. “You had it on you?”

“Yes.”

“So you still do?”

“Well I wouldn’t leave it at Uther’s now I’m forbidden from ever darkening his door again.”

“So… it’s very small?” Arthur was looking at the pockets on Merlin’s jacket.

“Yes.” Merlin fingered the ring box inside his right pocket, worried that Arthur would try to wrest it from him. Merlin had spent so long choosing it, getting the engraving just right. Not that it mattered now. Uther had soured everything. It all felt tainted.

But Arthur was smiling at him, a faint air of wonder on his face. “Really, Merlin?” he asked, though his tone was gentle, quite unlike the snarky way that he would normally say those two words.

Merlin shrugged, embarrassed. It wasn’t how he wanted the proposal to go. Not there in their hallway, after an almost-fight. Not soured by Uther. “Yeah.”

And it seemed that Arthur felt the same. “Well then, if that’s how he feels then my father won’t have me darkening his door again either,” he promised. “You’re my family, if I have to choose.”

Merlin smiled a little sadly at that. Arthur really shouldn’t have to choose. He knew there would be squeals of delight from his own parent at the news. But perhaps Uther would come round eventually, he hoped so for Arthur’s sake. And Morgana would definitely be in their corner, at least.

“Or make a decision,” Arthur added. “You know, if I might be asked to make a decision or something. Though if I was that would be a surprise, wouldn’t it?”

“Mm-hm,” Merlin agreed, smiling. Arthur was looking so happy, despite the crap with his father. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I won’t mention it again,” Arthur promised.

One good thing had come of it though – Arthur had guessed and Arthur was pleased. Merlin had been a bit worried that Arthur might have wanted to be the one doing the proposing, the same way he always needed to be the one driving, the one paying for dinner, the one on top. Well, maybe not always with that last one. But Arthur definitely had plenty of bossy alpha male qualities about him. But perhaps given his upbringing being the one who was wanted, the one who was desired, meant more to him than to most. Merlin knew he was going to be able to be as romantic and soppy as he liked with that proposal – Arthur was going to love it.

“I can hardly wait for my birthday now,” Arthur breathed, leaning in to capture Merlin’s mouth with his own. “I have a feeling it’s going to be the best one ever.”


End file.
